Prayer SOS

There is a quote that goes something like, "Some people come into your life for a reason, some stay for a season and some may stay just one day, but your life will be forever changed.” That may not be entirely correct, but the essence of the point is embodied in my recitation.

Presently in Delhi, I was mid-way through a blog entry detailing my train experience from Haridwar to Delhi and meeting up with my friend, Marc, from the U.S. But that entry is now substituted with the following story and request.

Just days after I set foot in India, Roopa Gupta stepped in and assumed responsibility for my well being and safety while traveling in India, making it her personal mission. Learning that I was searching for more than the Taj Mahal or the Red Fort, Roopa developed an inspired roadmap for my trip, revealing to me that my lack of planning was actually planned. My experiences of the past two and a half weeks are more than I expected, but all that I hoped for and they continue to expand my horizons from moment to moment.

No doubt in my soul that in the first minute we met, Roopa and I had a bond. Maybe that is just Roopa, full of spirit and open to sharing to those displaying interest. Nightly I receive calls from either Roopa, Shubi or Bharat (on the mobile phone they let me borrow) inquiring as to my health and general needs. It is an amazing display of heart from a family that took me in as their own.

Tonight when I phoned Roopa in response to Shubi’s text message as my phone was inadvertently off, I asked her how she was doing. Roopa replied with a surprising, but relaxed, “not so good.” Within a day after I left, Roopa went to the doctor experiencing abdominal pains. The physician monitoring her diabetes thought perhaps it was sun stroke so she stayed in bed for a few days. Yesterday however, pain continuing, the doctor ordered a sonogram that was administered today.

The results from the sonogram show an enlarged liver with still unclassified nodules. Cancer has been mentioned, but not confirmed. Further tests will take place tomorrow, the results of which should be known by Monday. Hearing this from Roopa was a surreal slow motion dream. What do you say? What must she be feeling? What should I do? Questions raced through my mind as I tried to grasp the potential gravity of the news.

True to spirit, Roopa finished explaining the latest news and answering my questions, and then asked me about what was happening with the trip, my health, my future plans. I answered her questions mechanically, still processing the information she shared. Despite the emotional stun I felt, Roopa laughed at some of my answers and discussed the wonder of my trip thus far as I explained my next leg.

I returned to her health concern, still unsure of what to do or say. And at the same time, I did not want to make it more of an issue in case it was not as initially diagnosed. Roopa bravely went on, almost to assure me, “If this is my karma then I want to deal with it in this lifetime, not the next. I am not worried about my daughters’ marriage and I am at peace.”

Are you kidding me? The doctor has just told you that you likely have liver cancer and you are accepting of the situation as karma? What about crying? What about freaking out? What about not meeting your future grandchildren?

But those are my reactions, and they are just that, reactions. We all react differently to situations, even those involving life and death. And here is yet another lesson of spiritual value from Roopa. Make sure your spiritual house is in order because you never know when it’s your “day”. She did not say this, but that is the clear message in her peaceful tone. We’ve all heard the saying many times, “live each day like it’s your last,” but when I tried that, MasterCard said they would report me to the credit bureau.

The reality of our daily lives does not truly permit us to live each day like it’s our last, or does it? Maybe we can’t stop going to work or paying bills, but we can remain mindful of our relationship with god, nature, faith, or whatever it is that inspires you to be good. By keeping in touch with your inspiration, maybe you stay the course of the meaningful or fulfilled life you desire, or maybe you struggle over it like many, but maybe you also live larger because you know that there is an end. Such is the irony of life. It exists only in the face of death.

Most of us spend very little time thinking about death. No one likes to dwell on it as we cease life. As I see it, my trip is intimately tied to death, not only because I am visiting Varanasi, where people of the Hindu faith gather on the banks of the Ganges to cremate their recently passed on loved ones, but because it involves the exploration of my faith and spirit. Some people go to church every Sunday, some synagogue every Saturday, some a mosque five times a day. I don’t know if one religion has it 100% right, frankly I doubt it. And I have not found one religion or spiritual path that compels me to exclude others so for now, my faith lies in the common thread of the globe's widely accepted religions. It doesn’t really matter to me as long as the intention behind the faith is good.

Hearing the disturbing news from Roopa reminds me to live more fully, larger each day, and to give from the heart as she has done for me. I have attached her picture at the top of this entry so that all who read this may join me in sending her warm hearted soul healing light and positive energy. I know Roopa came into my life for a reason, but I’d like her to stay for more than a day and a season.